Press Releases

Brinks 2008 Heart Walk Team

CHICAGO - Brinks Hofer Gilson & Lione, one of the largest intellectual property law firms in the U.S., is pleased to announce that firm president, Gary M. Ropski, has been named to the 2008 Start! Metro Chicago Heart Walk Executive Leadership Team. Mr. Ropski joins 10 other Chicago area business executives on the American Heart Association's (AHA) 2008 Heart Walk Executive Leadership Team with the common goals of increasing involvement and raising funds for the 2008 Heart Walk. Start! is the AHA's groundbreaking national walking and nutrition program that calls on all Americans and their employers to create an environment of health and physical activity - especially in the workplace - in order to live longer, heart-healthy lives.

This is the first year Mr. Ropski has served on the Start! Metro Executive Leadership Team. As a member of this elite group, he coordinated efforts at Brinks and other companies to increase employee participation in the 2008 Heart Walk and donations to the association.

On September 26, more than 30 members of the Brinks' Heart Walk team trekked to the south end of Chicago's Grant Park for the AHA's Heart Walk, the culmination of the summer-long campaign. Participants walked either a one- or three-mile loop around Grant Park to raise money for the AHA. The association sponsored three additional Heart Walks in Downers Grove, Palatine and Tinley Park, IL. Nationwide, the Heart Walk has more than 20,000 participants that together have raised in excess of $3 million.

Since 1924, the American Heart Association has helped protect people of all ages and ethnicities from the ravages of heart disease and stroke. These diseases, the nation's No. 1 and No. 3 killers, and other cardiovascular diseases claim nearly a million American lives each year. The association has invested more than $439 million for research, professional and public education and advocacy so that people across America can learn what they can do to reduce their risk and live stronger, longer lives. For more information on the Start! program, visit www.americanheart.org.

Founded in 1917, Brinks Hofer Gilson & Lione is based in Chicago with five additional offices across the country serving the intellectual property needs of clients from around the world. The firm is one of the largest IP law firms in the country, with more than 170 attorneys, scientific advisors and patent agents specializing in intellectual property litigation and all aspects of patent, trademark, copyright, trade secret, unfair competition, intellectual asset management, and technology and licensing agreements. Brinks routinely handles assignments in fields as diverse as electrical, chemical, mechanical, biotechnology, pharmaceutical, nanotechnology, Internet and computer technology, as well as in trademarks and brand names for a wide variety of products and services.